Woodrow Lafayette Pershing Truesmith, a man who had been discharged from the Marines for a hayfever condition before ever seeing action, delayed his return to his hometown. He felt that he was a failure and was in a moment of melancholy when he met up with a group of Marines who befriended him and encouraged him to return home to his mother by fabricating a story that he was wounded in battle with honorable discharge.
They made him wear a uniform complete with medals and pushed him into accepting a Hero's welcome when he got home. He was to be immortalized by a statue that he didn't want, had songs written about his heroic battle stories, and ended up unwillingly running for mayor. Despite his best efforts to explain the truth, no one would listen.